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Skylight Books Podcast SeriesAuthor: Skylight Books
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Better Than the Movie 34: MY BRILLIANT CAREER w/ Allison Smith (Friend of the Fest 2026 Preview)
Episode 10
Thursday, 20 August, 2026
The BTTM crew are hosting a screening of GILLIAN ARMSTRONG's film MY BRILLIANT CAREER (1979) for American Cinematheque's Friend of the Fest 2026 on Saturday, August 22, at 10:15pm. In anticipation of that screening, we invited Allison Smith of Smith and Taylor Classics (who will also intro the screening) to discuss both the film and the novel from which it was adapted, Miles Franklin's landmark debut My Brilliant Career (1901). (We do touch upon the new Netflix miniseries. Ahem... Briefly.) Spoiler alert: Miles Franklin's novel is a masterful self-portrait of a self-determined (and self-centered) young woman wriggling free from the roles that her family and Australian society would place her in, and Gillian Armstrong's film is a deft and sensitive distillation of that narrative and that spirit into something brief and beautiful. The film also benefits from star-making turns from Judy Davis and Sam Neill. If you're planning on coming to the show at the Los Feliz 3 on August 22 or not, this should be a fun and informative listen. Also, if you'd like to hear one of Allison's earlier appearances on BTTM, you should check out her unique contributions to Better Than the Movie 20: THE POLAR EXPRESS w/ Natalie Freeman and Allison Woodnutt. It's an unforgettable episode (that we totally forgot about in our discussion here). Hosted by Allan Traylor and Justin Remer. (We missed ya, Tyler.) Produced by Justin Remer. Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab. Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.
